This invention is concerned with transmitting control motion from a vibration isolated control platform for use on a vehicle to a controlled device carried on the frame structure of the vehicle. In particular a hydraulic control valve, mounted to the vehicle frame is actuated by a foot operated pedal carried on and operating through the vibration isolated floor panel of an operator's compartment of a tractor vehicle.
Current developments in agricultural tractors, earth-working machines and other material and personnel handling equipment are concerned with providing a comfortable, quiet and vibration free cab in order to reduce the environment induced fatigue to the vehicle operator. By isolating the operator from outside disturbances his full attention can be directed to the task at hand thus improving his efficiency and allowing increased fatigue free time in the field or on the job.
An area of development yielding good comfort improving results has been the isolation mounting of the operator's work station above the frame of the tractor vehicle. This has been accomplished through the use of resilient dampers, basically, elastic spacers, between the vehicle frame and the floor of the operator's work zone. Typically these dampers are engineered to reduce the transmission of vibration from the frame to the floor.
Unfortunately the transmission of vibration and its attendant noise generating property, also enters the cab or work zone through a vehicle controlled device which cannot always be of a flexible enough structure to minimize the transmission of vibrations. Prime offenders are steering shafts, brake and clutch linkages, implement control linkages and other solid connections affiliated with specific implement options.
The instant invention provides a linkage means that allows the operation of a remotely mounted operating cylinder through the use of an interrupted solid linkage. The expense and unreliability of a flexible control cable is not incurred. The subject invention allows free floating association between the operating means and the control valve means while assuming that proximate alignment is maintained at all times.